World, Bed Bug Registry Map – Infestation Reports

VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -

It's a real nightmare if you wake up to bed bugs, and it's happening to more and more people in the tri-state every day.

A local pest control business says for the last two years their treatments for bed bugs have increased by 400%, and the Vanderburgh CountyHealth Department says many residents don't even believe the bugs exist.

The health department says they get calls everyday from residents asking for help with their bed bug problems.

"Bed bugs really bring about mass panic," said Keith Goy,the Vector Control Supervisor with theVanderburgh County Health Department.

Although the tiny reddish brown insect may make you itchy, the health department says they don't spread disease.

"They generally bite three times in a row per bed bug. When they bite you, they secrete a numbing agent so you don't actually know they are doing it, and the bed bugs are waiting for you to be at rest, either sitting or watching TV or sleeping and that is when they are going to feed on you," Goy said.

The health department says they actually get a lot of phone calls from people who think the expression, 'don't let the bed bugs bite' is a myth, but it is actually very real, so they want to make sure people know what bed bugs look like.

They are about a quarter of an inch and if you think your home has them you can find them in between your mattress cushions, along the seam of the mattress or even behind the headboard.

"They like tight spaces so wherever they can be snug, and feel secure, that is where they tend to be," Goy said.

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Experts are serious when they say 'don't let the bed bugs bite'